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Summary of FY25 Senate Appropriations Bill

August 01, 2024

On August 1, the Senate Labor Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Committee released its version of the FY25 LHHS appropriation bill and marked up the legislation out of committee. The proposed funding levels included within the bill are subject to change as both chambers of Congress are expected to negotiate before and after the current fiscal year expires on September 30.

The committee did release the legislative text of the bill, and ASTHO's government affairs team will conduct a detailed analysis in the coming days. The Senate LHHS bill is a high watermark for funding compared to the House LHHS bill, and there are considerable differences between them that will require reconciliation and negotiation on both sides. The committee provided the following summary.

Outlook

Both the House and Senate are in recess and expected to return to Capitol Hill in early September. With limited legislative days before the expiration of FY24 funding, we remain hopeful that Congress will pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government past September 30 and negotiations in earnest related to the FY25 LHHS appropriation bill will resume after the November elections.

ASTHO’s Government Affairs team will continue to advocate for state and territorial public health departments, encouraging Congress to increase funding for state and territorial public health priorities.

The full committee summary is available for review.

Excerpts from Committee Summary

Public Health

The bill contains an increase of $173 million for CDC above FY24 enacted levels, including:

  • $365 million for public health infrastructure and capacity, an increase of $15 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $195 million for data modernization, an increase of $20 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $425 million for cancer prevention and control activities, an increase of $15 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $20 million in new funding for wastewater surveillance.

The bill also includes a total of $613 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, across multiple agencies.

Pandemic Preparedness and Biodefense

The bill contains $3.83 billion for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, an increase of $200 million above the FY24 enacted level, including:

  • $1.07 billion for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, an increase of $55 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $835 million for Project BioShield, an increase of $10 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $1.1 billion for the Strategic National Stockpile, an increase of $30 million above the FY24 enacted level.

Addressing Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health

The bill includes a combined increase of $215 million for substance use and mental health programs at SAMHSA and HRSA. This includes:

  • $2 billion for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant, an increase of $40 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $1.6 billion for State Opioid Response grants, an increase of $25 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $155 million for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, an increase of $10 million above the FY4 enacted level.
  • $1 billion for the Mental Health Block Grant, an increase of $35 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $20 million increase over FY24 for the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline
  • $400 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, an increase of $15 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $30 million for Mental Health Crisis Response Grants, an increase of $10 million above the FY24 enacted level.
  • $104 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, an increase of $5 million above the FY24 enacted level.

Women’s Health

The bill provides level funding for Title X and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program. Additionally, it increases investments in maternal health across CDC, HRSA, and NIH, adding $34 million for programs that address maternal mental health, prevent pregnancy-related deaths, and support best practices to improve maternal health outcomes.

Essential Health Care Programs

The bill includes $1.86 billion for Community Health Centers, $1.4 billion for Health Professions Workforce Development, $2.6 billion for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, a $21.3 million increase in rural health programs, and a $10 million increase to promote cybersecurity efforts across HHS.